The word “liqueur” comes from the Latin word “Liquifacere”, meaning “to make liquid”. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, herbs, spices, and fruit were chosen essentially for their medicinal purposes. Such concoctions were first labelled as elixirs, balms, crèmes, or oils and sold in markets or by roving merchants. The concoctions were not initially produced for consumers’ drinking pleasure, but rather to cure illnesses. Over the centuries, the elixirs were sweetened and prepared in a way that made them more palatable. Upon becoming more enjoyable, these elixirs set the premise for the world of liqueurs.

In 1906 Joseph Grattau gathered many years of research to create Izarra which became anchored in the Basque country and incorporated as part of its culture.